tow ropes and tubes

[John McLaughlin]

I know a lot has been written about tubes and ropes however I am still having a hard time to decide what tube to buy. I understand the tow rope should be about 60 ft other then that not sure what else is important.

But for the tube it is like buying a phone there are a lot of options. I suspect I will be towing between 1 and 3 people from teenage to adults. The folks that I will be towing will be my grandson who is 13 and his friend, his dad and other adults. It is also possible that I will also put our grand daughter, who is now three, on it. So you can see I am looking for one that will meet this need. Any suggestions on what to buy etc. would be greatly appreciated.

 

[fireflymedic]

Iv had better luck with just the round ones either circular or hot dog shaped. The rectangle and seat back squares and what not break seams and or go flat.

 

[John McLaughlin]

@fireflymedic thank and is there any paretic;ar brand or model that you recommend

 

[0627Devildog]

I know a lot has been written about tubes and ropes . . . . . . .

I have the HO Sport 4 person tube pictured below. It is a BIG tube, and a really fun ride but also VERY Stable.

https://video.costco.com/v/1054023836/ho-sports-delta-4-towable-water/

 

[tdonoughue]

I am cheap. Admittedly.

I usually pick up something off the discount rack at the end of the season. I go for the wings usually. I had a hot dog early on, but people really had a hard time staying on it (unless that was what you were going for). Did a circle; about the same as the wing in my book. There probably are better and worse brands, but especially if I am picking up a 3-4 person tube for less than $100, I call that a win.

 

[CraigAR]

What about rope length? Any special technique to not suck up the rope when a rider falls off? Also what about the rope for towing a wake border.

 

[tdonoughue]

You won't suck up the rope when the rider falls off. You will suck up the rope loading the rider and then trying to move forward to straighten out the rope. That is when the rope is a) at the aft, b) not taught, and c) may be sinking. When your rider falls off, your line is still taught and the tube is still pulling against forward motion. You can even loop around and your rope will make a semi-circle and still be nowhere near your intake (unless you run right over it, and that would take some doing). You need to worry about when you coil in the line to bring in the rider and load the next rider.

Trust me. Sucked up lots of rope. I am a professional.

 

[0627Devildog]

I use 75' of rope to keep the riders far our of the jet wash. . . . I found 50 was a bit short. As far as not sucking up the rope it is CRITICAL to communicate with your spotter as captain. These ropes generally float along the surface, so as long as you don't go over the rope you should be good. Communication is key.

 

[tdonoughue]

Agree. And (and this is important) DON'T BACK UP. Unless you have your spotter pulling in the rope at the same time you back up, you will back right over it and --bam-- you are done for.

Ask me how I know. Professional, remember?

 

[scokill]

I know a lot has been written about tubes and ropes however I am still having a hard time to decide what tube to buy. I understand the tow rope should be about 60 ft other then that not sure what else is important.

But for the tube it is like buying a phone there are a lot of options. I suspect I will be towing between 1 and 3 people from teenage to adults. The folks that I will be towing will be my grandson who is 13 and his friend, his dad and other adults. It is also possible that I will also put our grand daughter, who is now three, on it. So you can see I am looking for one that will meet this need. Any suggestions on what to buy etc. would be greatly appreciated.

We have went with larger circular over the years.

http://www.overtons.com/modperl/product/details.cgi?pdesc=OBrien-3-Rider-Ultra-Screamer-Towable-Tube&i=747548&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=googlebase&s_kwcid=googlepla&cvsfa=2587&cvsfe=2&cvsfhu=373437353438&s_kwcid=adwords__&gclid=COjty8ftqtQCFQa5wAodZ9QAcw

and https://obrien.com/product/swift-3/

My youngest was 5 when we bought the boat.

 

[Matt Phillips]

Standard practice on my boat is top tell people that if I stuck up a rope them that means I get to spend an hour cutting it out of the tubes and no one wants to cut up a $50+ rope. This I always ask, "rope clear?" Before starting and wait for a response. No response, no start.

I figure that way, if I do stuck up a rope, at least I have someone to tease about it... For at least the next decade! Lol

 

[Scuba_ref]

I have the HO Sport 4 person tube pictured below. It is a BIG tube, and a really fun ride but also VERY Stable.

https://video.costco.com/v/1054023836/ho-sports-delta-4-towable-water/

Loved that tube...but it only lasted one season for us.

 

[Scuba_ref]

We like to go about 15 to 20 feet of rope. Puts the tube right in the steep white water and allows me to blast them with the jets!

 

[Ronnie]

Nice thing about Costco is that they often come in a bundle with a rope and a 12v pump also you can return or exchange it just about anytime. I have gotten full credit for returning tubes without a receipt, box, rope or pump, just the tube and sometimes its still wet. The price tends to be a lot less than comparable tubes (without a pump or rope) as well.

 

[jdonalds]

Standard practice on my boat is top tell people that if I stuck up a rope them that means I get to spend an hour cutting it out of the tubes and no one wants to cut up a $50+ rope. This I always ask, "rope clear?" Before starting and wait for a response. No response, no start.

I figure that way, if I do stuck up a rope, at least I have someone to tease about it... For at least the next decade! Lol

That didn't work for me. I've had people see the rope in the water behind the boat looking like it was clear but they simply took a quick look and didn't see it was going under the boat. I gave up relying on other people and always check myself.

 

[jdonalds]

We've used this tube for years. Everyone loves it. It is near impossible to flip it over, even when a rider really trys to flip it. It swings side to side and stays flat with the water surface. It has been very durable, lasting several seasons. I did have to replace the bladder due to numerous pinhole leaks. I finally replace the whole tube last year but the first one (with replacement bladder) lasted more than five years.

It's a three person tube but we've usually kept it to two because, when the tube gets airborne (on purpose), the middle person has had a tendency to fall on top of the outer person and hurt them.

 

[fireflymedic]

I just get whatever is on sale what ever tube you do a review on will say they went flat so i buy cheap figuring if it last a season im a winner.

Now for sucking up rope i never back up Heck i don't even sit in neutral for more than a few seconds keep it in idle forward 1st notch. I don't think twice about shutting down the engines.

 

[0627Devildog]

Loved that tube...but it only lasted one season for us.

We've had it for 3 seasons since we got the boat. . . . . .still almost new condition.

 

[Bill D]

I bought this one last year, but it was way less than $200 at the time. I'm thinking like $150 plus discount codes and such... It's held up well, but we don't use it too often. We also extended the rope to about 75' to get the tuber out of the spray.

The bigger tubes with the backs on them are great for kids and people who aren't looking to get tossed around like a ragdoll.

 

[Mighty Peace]

We are in the same boat, so to speak. My 2 boys are 11 and 9. CANT WAIT !!!

IMO, Buy used or find a good deal on a Buy Sell Trade sites for new tubes. Amazon and Ebay are other sites.

My wife found a brand new in box - Seadoo GX4 tube ..retails for $ 430 Canadian, bought off a local person that advertised it...got it for $ 100.

Also bought a new inbox Seadoo EVO Pro2 towable. Got it for $125. Retail sells for $ 299. All off the local area Buy Sell Trade.

I am leaving out of town tonight for work and where I am going my wife found a 2 person tube that looks like the Figure 8...a Seadoo model again ..its used but mint and we got it for $ 75.

I heard from another parent that said best to have a couple because it really sucks when a tube goes down and either you waiting to repair it or cant repair and the kids are pestering to go tubng.


I heard its good to purchase a Towable Booster ball for the larger tubes. Helps keep the rope out of the water.